At a special called meeting Tuesday, the Russellville City Council agreed to seek bids on a roofing system for the district court building under renovation on East Second Street.

All present members voted in favor of seeking bids for a thermoplastic polyoletin (TPO) roof treatment - an energy efficient roofing membrane that will be installed over the existing roof - at the site. Aldermen Burke Larkin and Ron Knost were not present.

Chronic leaks at the building brought the need for a new roof to the council's attention. Preliminary estimates put the cost for the project at about $23,500, Community Development Director Brian Holstein said.

Initially, Alderman Garland Steuber suggested the city forego the competitive bidding process and contract with the company Holstein received the initial estimate from, but others balked at the idea.

"I am reluctant to support not putting it out to competitive bid," Irwin said, with Alderman Mark Tripp echoing his sentiments.

Holstein told aldermen other options to repair the roof were considered, and TPO was deemed the best option. It is comparable in cost to replacing the existing metal roof, he said, and could help reduce air conditioning costs.

The contract for the process will be separate from the contract for the overall building renovation, which is held by Russellville-based Williamson Construction.

The council also considered at the special called meeting whether to order tile to be installed in some areas of the district court building. The original plans called for the areas in question to be left as plain concrete and sealed.

Alderman Randall Horton expressed some concern as to how the concrete would look, but the council decided to wait until the renovation was complete - or at least closer to being complete - to make a decision on the tile.

Fire station talk

The council also discussed the need Tuesday to begin considering the expansion of the fire department's main station.

Fire Chief John Cochran said the department needs a station that is roughly 16-17,000 square feet - twice the size of the station's current 7-8,000 square feet. He said the current station, which entered service in the 1970s, is no longer adequate for the needs of the department. Although he said the need is not pressing, there will be a time in the near future when the department will be forced to expand, Cochran said.

An ideal site would encompass at least half a city block, Cochran said, allowing room for a station with 4-5 truck bays, as well as plenty of sleeping, office and storage space.

Finance Committee meeting

Mark Vaughn approached the Finance Committee on behalf of the Russellville Firemen's Pension and Relief Fund to inform them a recent study of the pension's solvency by the state pension review board indicated the city would need to levy .4 mills to maintain the fund.

"There's not anybody going to get a raise out of this," Vaughn said. "We haven't got a raise in 20 years."

Mayor Bill Eaton told finance committee members he would provide them with documentation of the board's financials, and Irwin said a ordinance would be prepared for the council's September meeting.

If approved, the millage would bring in about $140,000 per year and would have to be renewed annually.

The finance committee also gave "tentative approval" to provide nearly $55,000 toward a contract for a downtown master plan. Another $30,000 is expected to be provided by Main Street Russellville and other private partners.

Committee members suggested the city's portion of funds for the project might come from a fraction of the one-cent sales tax set aside for economic development. They agreed to have a definitive plan for funding before the full council votes on the matter next week.

The bid under consideration is from the Walker Collaborative, the lowest of three bidders on the project.

The finance committee also approved:

 Moving $387 to the police fund. The funds were received from an insurance payment on a police vehicle that was involved in a minor accident.

 $24,811 for final moving and contractor's expenses for the renovation of City Hall.

Russellville aldermen talked Tuesday about the possibility of initiating a change to the city's open burn policy.

Alderman Randall Horton confirmed a proposed draft ordinance, which he indicated was open to revision, does not allow the burning of residential yard waste.

Fire Chief John Cochran said he felt about half of the people he talked to were opposed to such a ban and half were for it. He said there are reasons, both for air quality and safety, to enact restrictions on residential burning.

Waste Management offers yard waste pickup, Cochran pointed out. In addition, in the fall, air turbulence holds the smoke in certain areas of town, which can cause problems for affected residences. If such a ban was enacted, Cochran said he also proposed implementing alongside it some sort of leaf collection program.

While Mayor Bill Eaton indicated he was in favor of the change, aldermen Martin Irwin and Garland Steuber, both representatives of Ward 4, were skeptical.

Though some members indicated residents could haul waste to the city's yard waste collection facility on South Mobile Avenue, other aldermen questioned the convenience of the program. Alderman Mark Tripp asked what hours the facility was open, and Steuber pointed out that residents who don't own trucks would have difficulty hauling yard waste to the facility.

Commercial burn permits would be allowed.

The council took no action on the matter Tuesday, but Horton said he would like to see a committee formed to work on coming to an agreement on the matter.

"It's an issue we need to address," he said. "If nothing else, we need to clarify our stance."

Agenda prep meeting

Among items the Russellville City Council will consider at its regular meeting on Aug. 18:

 Consideration of an ordinance amending the city of Russellville's noise ordinance.

 Consideration of an ordinance to remove dilapidated structures.

 Consideration of a resolution granting a special use permit to operate a towing impoundment lot.

 Consideration of a resolution granting a special use permit to operate car sales.

Look for more Russellville City Council coverage in a future edition of The Courier.